Football player Edgar Davids is one of the most recognizable players in the world. A short, dark-skinned guy of a strong physique with dreadlocks and eyes hidden behind orange glasses, he always laid out on the field 100% or more. He skillfully destroyed the attack of rivals, fought for every ball and always knew when to retreat and when to attack. Not all players liked the talented midfielder with a difficult character. The football player demonstrated the explosive disposition not only on the field, but also outside it, but everyone respected him for his professionalism. It seems that Edgar could not have a nickname other than “pit bull”, because he took the ball from even the most technical attackers. He, as they say, gnawed at the opponent and did not leave him a chance.
From the gateway to Ajax
Edgar Davids was born in the Surinamese city of Paramaribo on March 13, 1973. Four years later, parents and their young son moved to Amsterdam, and there Davids began to learn the basics of football. True, the poverty of the parents did not allow settling in a decent part of the city, and the Davids settled in the criminal quarter. Thus, the first “team” of Edgar was the guys from the disadvantaged areas of the Dutch capital, and the first field - the courtyards and gateways.
Of course, the dream of all Amsterdam boys in love with football was to study at one of the best academies in the Old World - the academy of the football club Ajax (De Toekomst). But it was not so simple. You could get to the famous school in two ways: either you liked the club’s many scouts who watch the candidates you like and then recommend them to the coach, or speak at a talent show. Ajax holds such shows annually. Within three days, thousands of boys demonstrate their skills, and the best go to the academy. Thanks to such a show, Edgar Davids got into De Toekomst.
Football academy
By the time Davids got to the academy, he had already managed to become the leader of the local gang and perceived such “rallying” as a kind of defense. In the team, he also preferred to team up with the notorious Patrick Kluivert and Clarence Seedorf, who were also from Suriname. The guys called their friendship "De Kabel", held on to each other, stopped racist attacks, sometimes not sparing their fists. At De Toekomst, he and his teammates trained hard, honed his skills and looked for his position on the field. Davids himself wanted to play in the attack, but the coaches put Edgar in the position of an opornik.
The main composition of "Ajax" (1991-1996)
When the player was 18 years old, he was transferred to the main team of Ajax, and in September 1991 the player first entered the field. He quickly gained a foothold in the base, and together with the “golden” Dutch squad under the leadership of the young and ambitious Louis Van Gal, he became the UEFA Cup triumphant in 1992 and the champion in 1995. In the final, Ajax defeated AC Milan.
As part of the “Amsterdam”, Davids won the Eredivisi three times in a row in the seasons 1993/94, 1994/95 and 1995/96. Once became the owner of the Netherlands Cup in 1993 and won the Dutch Super Cup three times in 1993, 1994 and 1995.
The team also won the UEFA Super Cup and Intercontinental Cup in 1995. Thus, it was during the Davids and Co. period that the golden years of Ajax were. So far, the team has not been able to achieve the same success in European competition.
By the way, the nickname “pit bull” was assigned to the Dutchman precisely in “Ajax”. With a light pitch from the coach of the Amsterdam team, Louis Van Gal Galids became known in the Netherlands and then around the world.
In total for Ajax, Edgar spent 106 games and managed to print the rivals' goal 20 times. Pictured by Edgar Davids during the game for Ajax. A soccer player is very difficult to find out, isn’t it?
Two years at Milan (1996-1998)
After Ajax, Davids moved to Milan, but he called two years in this club the most erroneous in his career. Almost at the very beginning of the season, the player broke his leg and was out of order for a while. Further more. The football player started a fight with the townspeople, who allegedly allowed racist statements addressed to him, laid bare his fists in training against the Rossoneri legend Kostakurta and, to top it, quarreled with the head coach of the red and black Fabio Capello. Against the background of all this, Davids did not receive constant practice - in two seasons he played only 19 games, and in 1998 left the club. After leaving, the black bar in the biography of Edgar Davids ended.
Catching up on what was lost in Juve (1998–2004)
As part of the Turin club, Davids' career went uphill again. He became one of the leaders of Juventus, helped the club win Serie A three times in 1998, 2002 and 2003, and almost repeated the success of Ajax in 1995. Before the victory in the Champions League in 2003, the “Old Senior" had a little lack of luck. A penalty shootout with AC Milan ended in favor of Rossoneri.
It was in Juventus that the famous image of Edgar Davids, a football player with glasses, developed. In 1995, the player received a head injury, due to which he developed an eye disease, glaucoma. Then the question was the sports future of the Dutchman, but he was still able to return to the field. In 1999, the injury worsened, which is why Edgar Davids needed special glasses. According to the requirements of FIFA, it is impossible to appear on the field with glasses, but for the Surinamese organization made an exception. The glasses were specially designed for the player and had unbreakable and not sweating glasses. So Davids became the only football "bespectacled man." Even when the glasses became unnecessary, Edgar continued to go out for matches in them, as they became part of his image.
Interesting fact: disqualification for nandrolone
During his stay at Juventus, Davids was disqualified. After another doping control in March 2001, the drug nandrolone was found in his blood. The footballer was sanctified by a one-year suspension from the games, but in the end the sentence was reduced to four months. Most likely, the forbidden drug got into the body of the midfielder through the fault of doctors. In general, the forced downtime did not affect the game of the football player: in the next season he returned to the squad and quickly regained his previous form.
Retirement (2004-2013)
After Juve, the pit bull career began to decline. He increasingly found himself on the bench and was even leased to Barcelona for half a season in 2004. Davids instantly fit into the team, revived the Barça game, helped the Catalans get out of the basement of the tournament table and take second place in the national championship.
The next season, “pit bull” moved to the Italian “Inter”, but, as in the case of “Milan”, could not gain a foothold in the team. In the seasons 2005/06 and 2006/07, Davids “ran” for the English “Tottenham Hotspur” and helped the club compete for a place in the top four, however, as a result, the team ended up in fifth place for two seasons only.
In 2007, Edgar returned to his native Ajax, where the player received the captain's armband and won the Netherlands Cup with the club, taking a decisive shot in the final match for the cup. At the end of the season, Davids became a free agent and dropped out of professional football for two years.
In 2010, he signed a contract with the English club Crystal Palace, but after 3 months the parties terminated the agreement by mutual agreement.
The playing coach (2012-2014)
In 2012, Davids signed a contract with the club of the second English league “Barnet” and became a playing coach. But combining the two positions was difficult, and after Davids received a red card for the third time this season, he decided to hang his boots on a nail and focus on coaching. True, he did not last long and at the end of 2013 left the team.
Performances in the national team (1994-2005)
Davids' debut in the Dutch national team took place at the 1994 World Cup. The footballer did not go to the 1996 European Championship, because he had an argument with the Dutch coach Guus Hiddink. Nevertheless, at the 1998 World Cup, the footballer reunited with the team, and it was Edgar Davids' goal against the Yugoslav national team that led the team to the quarterfinals of the tournament. Edgar entered the symbolic team that year.
At the 2000 European Championships, the "orange" won bronze, losing in the semifinals of the Italian national team. As the next Euro went on a carbon copy, only in the semifinal match did the Dutch yield to the Portuguese. This was the last European tournament for Davids.
Street Football Philosophy
Edgar Davids has a clothing line under the Monta Soccer brand. These are clothes for adults and children. In addition to clothing, the Monta collection includes sports accessories. Now the main focus is on promoting the Monta Juniors kids line. According to Davids, this is not even so much clothes as the lifestyle that he and his colleagues are trying to convey to residents of different countries. It is convenient to play in these clothes, it is also intended to convey the mood. This is a street style, and football for many boys begins in the courtyards. At least that was what Davids did. He wants to infect others with football, and perhaps thanks to him new talents will open up to the world. Davids says of his future:
I am absolutely calm and confident, I have a lot of energy. There are so many interesting events ahead. I work with children, I already have my own vision of how to train them. I have plans, as I said, to do sports coaching and assemble my own children's team.
Conclusion
According to World Soccer magazine, Edgar Davids is on the list of the greatest football players of the 20th century. For his intransigence and unscrupulousness, Edgar received the nickname "pit bull", but it is not the only one. The Dutchman was also called the “bulldog”, “piranha” and “predator”. The message is the same. Partners did not really like Davids for his inability to control himself, but no one could deny the incredible dedication and high professional level of this midfielder.
He is one of the best “breakwaters” in the world, but Davids didn’t just destroy the attacks, he dragged the ball forward and delivered the final blow or gave a pass. Technical, cruel, powerful - all this is about the “pit bull”. At the same time, the feints of Edgar Davids revealed the real creator in him, the poet - the second facet of his personality, which, without football, would probably never have appeared.